Remote prescription refill system

ABSTRACT

A central station is provided to which the pharmacy can forward calls at the convenience of the pharmacy. A caller will call in to the pharmacy to request a refill and the call will be automatically routed to the central facility unbeknownst to the caller. The central station will obtain the refill information required, preferably by means of an automated computer system as is known in the art. This information can then be transferred to the pharmacist in a number of ways, such as by periodically faxing the information to the pharmacy. Voice messages could be flagged and the pharmacist would have to call into the central facility to obtain the voice mail message. Alternatively, a PC could be installed in the pharmacy having a reduced version of a complete, stand-alone program. The refill information can then be sent to the pharmacy by modem and the pharmacist could see a computer display of the refill orders and could hear voice messages. Alternatively, the information could be e-mailed to the pharmacy. Finally, a pager system may be utilized to alert the pharmacist to retrieve orders by telephone with a password. It should also be noted that orders could be taken by the central station over the Internet rather than merely through customer calls.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This is a continuation application of U.S. patent application Ser. No.09/097,762 filed Jun. 16, 1998, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,493,427 issued Dec.10, 2002, the entire disclosure of which is expressly incorporatedherein by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

This invention relates generally to a remote refill prescription systemfor automatically handling prescription re-fill orders for pharmacies.More specifically, this invention relates to a remote prescriptionrefill system, wherein refill orders are placed at a central station andthere the refill information transferred by one or more of various waysto the pharmacy.

2. Related Art

Traditionally, prescription refills were ordered by visiting a pharmacyand requesting a refill. Eventually, one could obtain a prescriptionrefill by telephoning the pharmacy and speaking with the pharmacist torequest the refill. However, this could take up a large amount of apharmacist's time. In a busy pharmacy, numerous telephone requests forrefills could prevent the pharmacist from actually performing his or herwork—preparing drugs.

Accordingly, what was developed, and are now in widespread use, areautomated telephone prescription refill systems which handle incomingcalls, obtain the prescription refill request and provide the request tothe pharmacist. Many of these systems are computer-based and runsophisticated software programs. Such systems may includemicroprocessors, memory, monitors, modems, printers, and may evenrequire technical support. Such systems can be expensive, and thoughaffordable by large, busy pharmacies, or pharmacy chains, these systemsmay not be affordable for every pharmacy. Such a “stand-alone” system isdiscussed, hereinafter, in the Detailed Description of the Invention.

Accordingly, what is desired, and has not heretofore been provided, isan inexpensive automated system for pharmacies for handling prescriptionrefill orders. Additionally, it is desired that such a system can beutilized by pharmacists with varying technical capabilities without theneed for technical support.

Past efforts in this general area include the following:

Rhodes, et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,666,492 discloses a computer basedpharmaceutical care cognitive services management system and method thatfacilitates the transformation of a vendor to a health care provider.The invention captures the value added by a pharmacist to a patientencounter and enables the pharmacist to financially recover for theservices provided. The system allows for the processing of interruptionsduring sessions.

Brennan, et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,511,594 discloses a modular pharmacysystem that can be standardized for efficient arrangement of successiveof steps in the preparation of prescriptions. The pharmacy systemincludes a plurality of workstations for completing successive steps inthe admixture of intravenous solutions and drugs.

Gilbert, U.S. Pat. No. 5,475,742 discloses a system for remote datacollection. The data is then sent to a central site via a telephonenetwork to store the data for processing by a central processing unit.The invention has particular applicability in the collection andprocessing of data for statistical purposes in the field ofpharmacological distribution.

Pugaczewski, et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,450,488 discloses a centralized,multiple-service voice messaging system. The system permitsdifferentiation between incoming calls. Additional directory numbers arededicated to message service systems. The central office forwards callsdialed to the dedicated directory numbers to the voice mail system,which recognizes the numbers and performs services based on thedirectory number dialed.

Kehnemuyi, et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,975,841 discloses a method andapparatus for automatically contacting customers and reporting orderstatus data. Memory is provided for receiving and storing the customerorder status information including product order information, scheduledand actual shipping dates and the customer's telephone number. Atelephone dialer is provided for dialing customer telephone numbers. Thetelephone dialer sequentially dials customer's telephone numbers and acorresponding customer report facsimile is automatically transmitted tothe customer.

Pauly, et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,958,280 discloses an apparatus and methodfor filing prescriptions for disposable contact lenses. Eye careprofessionals may place automated orders through personal computers orby direct telephone calls. A central station having a variety of filestorage means, which maintains the files, and selectively processes thefiles in accordance with its operations. Orders are processed in a batchmode and order forms may be printed. The order forms are then deliveredto the inventory-distribution area where orders are verified, packagedand shipped to the customer. At the time of the receipt of the order,and at shipping, appropriate inventory file adjustments are made.

Pilarczyk, U.S. Pat. No. 4,766,542 discloses a system for contactingpharmacy customers to automatically remind them that their prescriptionsneed to be refilled. The system includes a computer, memory, andautomatic telephone dialing and voice synthesizing equipment. A printedreport is provided to the pharmacist.

Some additional patents that pertain to this field include Perlman, U.S.Pat. No. 5,636,209, which discloses a modem for supporting multiple sitecall conference data communications; Williams, et al., U.S. Pat. No.5,597,995, which discloses an automated medical prescription fulfillmentsystem having work stations for imaging, filing and checking thedispensed drug or product; Whalen, et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,327,341,which discloses a computerized file maintenance system for managingmedical records including narrative reports; Ketring, U.S. Pat. No.5,249,221, which discloses a telephone answering system with calltransfer; and Davis, et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,436,962, which discloses acall cover arrangement wherein a covered call is redirected sequentiallyto each of the covering stations in a coverage group in an order ofpreference until the call is answered or abandoned.

OBJECTS AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is a primary object of this invention to provide a prescriptionrefill system having a central station, which automatically processespharmacy prescription refills.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a prescriptionrefill system where a caller will telephone a pharmacy and beautomatically routed to a central station where the refill informationwill be obtained.

It is an additional object of the present invention to provide aprescription refill system where the refill information from the centralstation can be transferred to the pharmacy in a variety of ways.

It is even an additional object of the present invention to provide asystem of the class described where the refill information istransmitted to the pharmacy by facsimile transmission.

It is still even an additional object of the present invention toprovide a system where the refill information is transmitted to thepharmacy by e-mail.

It is still a further object of the present invention to provide aprescription refill system where the refill information is transmittedto the pharmacy over the Internet.

It is even a further object of the present invention to provide a systemwhere the pharmacist can access voice mail information left by callerson the central station.

It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a systemwhere the pharmacies can receive order information from the centralstation by the use of the telephone with a password.

It is even another object of the present invention to provide a systemwhere the pharmacist can use a local personal computer (PC) to accessrefill order information and voice messages from the central station.

It is still a further object of this invention to provide a prescriptionrefill system utilizing a central station which is transparent to therefill requestor, i.e., people requesting refills perceive themselves tobe dealing directly with the pharmacy.

A central station is provided to which the pharmacy can forward calls atthe convenience of the pharmacy. A caller will call in to the pharmacyto request a refill and the call will be automatically routed to thecentral facility unbeknownst to the caller. The central station willobtain the refill information required, preferably by means of anautomated computer system. This information can then be transferred tothe pharmacist in a number of ways, such as by periodically faxing theinformation to the pharmacy. Voice messages could be flagged and thepharmacist would call into the central facility to obtain the voice mailmessage. Alternatively, a PC could be installed in the pharmacy having areduced version of a complete, stand-alone program. The refillinformation can then be sent to the pharmacy by modem and the pharmacistcould see a computer display of the refill orders and could hear voicemessages. Alternatively, the information could be e-mailed to thepharmacy. Finally, a pager system may be utilized to alert thepharmacist to retrieve orders by telephone with a password. It shouldalso be noted that orders could be taken by the central station over theInternet rather than merely through customer calls.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Other important objects and features of the invention will be apparentfrom the following Detailed Description of the Invention taken inconnection with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a flow chart showing the operation of the invention.

FIG. 2 is a computer display of a setup function of the invention.

FIG. 3 is a computer display of some available options of the invention.

FIG. 4 is a computer display of some available announcement options ofthe invention.

FIG. 5 is a computer display of some available print options of theinvention.

FIG. 6 is a is a computer display of Holidays for scheduling for theinvention.

FIG. 7 is a computer display of the pickup and delivery schedule for theinvention.

FIG. 8 is a computer display of refill orders generated on a PC at thepharmacy in accordance with one embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 9 is a computer display of refill orders or FIG. 8, with sortoptions for these orders.

FIG. 10 is a computer display of voice messages which may be printed orplayed.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

In discussing the present invention, it is useful to begin with adiscussion of the assignee's commercially available stand-alone refillprescription system which has many programming similarities with thepresent invention. In the stand-alone system, the computer programs arelocated at the pharmacy.

Before starting to use the stand-alone system, it has to be customizedby entering all the necessary information about the business andchoosing the optional features. This is known as the setup process. Itis important to check the computer's date and time settings and tocorrect them before starting. To start the stand-alone system, one mustturn the power on to start the computer, on the Windows® desktop screenclick on the start button, click on Programs and then click on theprogram icon, when the program starts, it displays the title screenbriefly and then the main program screen appears.

To access the Setup screen click on File—Setup. The main Setup screenwill be displayed. As a security precaution a password should be used.To insert a password: Click on the Change Password button. The ChangePassword window appears. In the Change Password window type the passwordof four characters in the New Password box. Press the TAB key to move tothe Confirm Password box and retype the password exactly as before.Click OK. This returns to the main Setup window. The Password takeseffect the next time Setup is started.

The pharmacy name is entered in the main Setup window. There is also anoption to record the name of the pharmacy for use in Outbound Callmodules (if it has not yet been prerecorded). To record the pharmacyname, turn on the microphone. Type the name of the pharmacy into theName of Pharmacy text box. Click on the Record button in the main Setupwindow and the Record Pharmacy Name window will be displayed. Click onthe Record button and speak into the microphone. The blinking word“Recording” instead of “Stopped” and the movement of a slider will showthe progress of recording. Click on the Stop button when finishedrecording. Click on the Play button to hear the recording. In the Scriptwindow, the text as recorded may be entered for future reference. ClickOK to return to the main Setup window.

To import an existing voice file for the Pharmacy Name, from the RecordPharmacy Name window click on the Import button. A standard Windows 95Open screen will be displayed. Select the file to be imported as thePharmacy Name and click on the Open button. In the Script window, theuser has the option to type in the text of the voice file, which wasimported for future reference. Click OK to return to the main Setupwindow.

The Initial Announcement is the first announcement customers hear whenthey access the program. It is required that at least one initialannouncement always be present. The General Announcement is an optionalfeature that may provide callers with general information about thepharmacy (e.g., hours, directions, promotional and sale information,etc.) The after-hours Announcements is an optional feature that will beonly played when the pharmacy is closed and provide callers withinformation regarding the nearest 24 hour store or any other after-hoursemergency related information if a caller chooses to listen to it fromthe Main voice menu.

When customers call the pharmacy, the first thing they hear is anInitial Announcement (e.g., “You have reached the ABC Pharmacy”). Theannouncement may be recorded by the pharmacy staff or imported as aprerecorded voice file. To record the Initial Announcement, click on theAnnouncements button in the Setup window and the Announcements windowwill appear. Click on the tab Initial. Click on the Add button. Thiswill bring up the Add Initial Announcement window. Type in a name toidentify the announcement. One can record more than one initialannouncement and save the inactive recordings for later use. Therefore,pick a name that will allow one to distinguish between them (e.g.,“Standard,” “Holiday,” etc.) Type the text that will be record in theScript window for future reference. Click on the Record button. Push theStop button when finished recording. Click on the Play button to hearthe recording. Click OK when finished. This returns to the Announcementswindow.

Select the initial announcement for the program to use from the list ofannouncements. The initial announcement, whose name is highlighted andis shown in the Initial Announcement text box in the Announcementswindow, is the initial announcement that will be played by the system.Click OK. This returns to the main Setup window.

To import a prerecorded voice file for the Initial Announcement, fromthe Add Initial Announcement or the Edit Initial Announcement windowsclick on the Import button. A standard Windows 95 Open screen will bedisplayed. Select the file that will be imported as an initialannouncement and click on the Open button. The selected file name willappear in the Name text box of the Add Initial Announcement window. Inthe Script window, type in the text of the imported initial announcementfor future reference. Click OK when finished. This returns to theAnnouncements window. Select the initial announcement the program is touse from the list of announcements by clicking on it. The initialannouncement, whose name is highlighted and is shown in the InitialAnnouncement text box, is the initial announcement that will be playedby the system. If an initial announcement was not recorded words “NotRecorded” will appear in the Initial Announcement text box in red color.

One may also choose to make available to callers a General Announcementabout the pharmacy. The process of recording a General Announcement isvery similar to the process of recording an Initial Announcement. In theAnnouncements window click on the tab General. Check the GeneralInformation check box (by clicking in it) to activate it. Add, Edit andDelete buttons will become enabled. Click on the Add button. This willbring up the Add General Announcement window. The recording of theGeneral Announcement is the same as the recording of the InitialAnnouncement. The procedure for importing prerecorded voice files for aGeneral Announcement is the same as for an Initial Announcement.

One may also choose to activate an after-hours Announcement. The processof recording an after-hours Announcement is very similar to the processof recording an Initial Announcement. In the Announcements window clickon the tab after-hours. Check the after-hours Announcement check box (byclicking in it). The Add, Edit and Delete buttons will become enabled.Click on the Add button. This will bring up the Add after-hoursAnnouncement window. Follow the stems for recording the InitialAnnouncement. The procedure for importing the prerecorded voice filesfor an after-hours Announcement is the same as for an InitialAnnouncement.

The Options window is a part of the Setup process where the program canbe fully customized by choosing the main features that are essential forrunning in a particular business environment. There are only severalsettings in the Options that are required to be completed: the length ofthe customer's telephone number, the local area code and the length ofthe Rx number. The rest of the settings are optional.

To access the Options window, click on the Options button in the mainSetup window and the Options window will be displayed. When selection ofthe options to be included in the system is completed, click OK to savethe settings and return to the main Setup window or click Cancel to exitthe Options window without saving the changes.

The program requests a customer's phone numbers in case they need to bereached. To choose the options in the Request Phone Number section, typethe pharmacy local area code in the Local Area Code text box. Click onthe Seven Digits radial button if the pharmacy services a local regionwith only one area code and it is not desired to request an area codewith the customer's phone number. Click on the Ten Digits radial buttonif the pharmacy services customers from more than one area code regionand it is desired that the program request an area code with thecustomer's phone number.

If the program is integrated with an existing Pharmacy Management Systemit will request customer's phone numbers only in the cases where thenumber detected by Caller ID does not match any phone number in thecustomer's profile file.

The program allows customers to leave the refill voice message attachedto their refill order (for example: “I don't have a refill number handybut I need another refill of XYZ you have on file to be delivered withmy order.” or “Please contact my doctor at 212-222-2222 for refillauthorization, of XYZ.” or “Add to my delivery order 100 ABC pills andthree tubes of Crest® regular toothpaste.”) If this option is chosen thesystem will prompt the callers during their refill request session toleave a voice message with instructions to the pharmacist. Check the Askfor Refill Message check box to activate this feature.

Voice Messaging allows customers to leave a voice message only, thusserving as an answering machine for all incoming voice lines. Whenactivated, the system will prompt the caller on the Main Voice Menu topress a designated button on a telephone keypad if they want to leave amessage. Check the Activate Voice Messaging check box to activate thisfeature.

When a new order is received, it is recommended that a sound fromcomputer speakers is issued to immediately alert the pharmacist of a neworder. Check the New Order—Sound Alert check box to activate thisfeature.

The Order Status Verification feature allows callers to verify thestatus of the prescription refill previously ordered through theprogram. If the option is activated, the customers will have the choiceon the Main Voice Menu of checking the status of their refill order.Check the Order Status Verification check box to activate this feature.

The Doctor's Line Announcement is designed for pharmacies withmulti-line telephone environment without call routing. The systemrecognizes doctors transferring to the pharmacy phones, either from theDoctor's Voice Menu or from bypassing the system by means of the directtransfer feature, and announces through the computer speakers the numberof the phone line on which the doctor is holding. Check the Doctor'sLine Announcement check box to enable this feature.

Customers may speak directly to the pharmacy staff. Some pharmacies maychoose to have a dedicated telephone line solely for prescriptionrefills and have a second number for direct calls to the pharmacy. Whenactivated, the system will prompt the caller to press the zero key ifthey require personal assistance. Check the Allow Transfer to Pharmacycheck box to activate this feature. Enter in the Dial String text boxthe dialing combination which controls the switching device (PBX, KSU,line switching box).

While entering refill numbers and/or recording voice messages callerswill not be able to transfer their calls to the pharmacy using the zerokey. In such cases and/or at any time during the call callers have theoption to return to the Main Voice Menu by pressing the star key andthen to be transferred to the pharmacy by pressing the zero key.

When the pharmacy is closed the system does not offer to callers thechoice of transferring their calls to the pharmacy phones by pressingthe zero key. However pharmacy staff and designated callers may transfertheir after-hours calls to the pharmacy phones by pressing the nine(“9”) key at any time during the Main Voice Menu. This option is neverannounced to general callers.

The First Choice feature allows one to change the order of playing theRefill and Doctor's prompts on the Main Voice Menu. One chooses whichmenu choice, Refill or Doctor, should be played first by checking theappropriate option in the First Choice section: Click on the Doctorsradial button if callers are to hear the choice “Doctor's Office only”first on the Main Voice Menu. Click on the Cust. Refills radial buttonif callers are to hear the choice “To Refill a Prescription” first onthe Main Voice Menu.

The Doctor's Orders section allows adjusting the Doctor's Menu to thepreferences of doctors in the community. One may choose any combinationof the following options by checking the appropriate check boxes in theDoctor's Orders section. The Refill option allows doctors to record newprescriptions and/or refill authorizations in just one recording. Theyare prompted by the system to state their full name and phone number,patient full name and phone number and all relevant information for thenew prescription and/or refill authorization.

The Message option allows doctors to leave a message for the pharmacystaff. They are prompted by the system to leave their name, phone numberand a detailed message. The Transfer option allows doctors to beimmediately transferred to the pharmacy staff by pressing the zero keyon the keypad of their phones. If none of these options is activated,the Doctor's Menu will be turned off and the choice of “Doctor's Officeonly” will not be offered on the Main Voice Menu. If only the Transferis selected, then whenever doctors press the “Doctor's Office only”option on the Main Voice Menu they will be automatically transferred tothe pharmacy staff. If a combination of any of the three options isactivated, the doctor will hear the short menu offering the selectedchoices.

The program requires that the number of digits in the Rx Number used inthe Pharmacy (any number between 3 and 10 excluding letters, precedingor succeeding if any) be specified. The program validates a customer'sentry to make sure the correct number of digits have been punched in. Ifnecessary (for example, if Rx numbers of two different length are used)one may choose a variable length for the Rx number by typing a “*” inthe Length of Rx number text box. If variable length of the Rx number ischosen the system will prompt customers to follow the input of the Rxnumber by the “#” sign. In any case the system will play back tocustomers the entered Rx numbers for verification. Type the number ofdigits in the prescription refill number or a “*” for variable length inthe Length of Rx number text box.

The program permits choice of the number of days' worth of orders (from2 to 7 days) that will be stored in the system and displayed on the mainscreen. The fewer number of days are stored, the faster the systemworks. By default the system stores orders for 3 days. To change thisnumber, click on the Days to Store text box and delete the existingnumber. Type in the desired number of days for storing orders in thesystem.

There are two different ways of printing orders in the program, ReceiptPrinting and Full-page Printing with receipt printing, all orders areprinted automatically on the receipt (cash register type) printer in theform of order slip as soon as they are received. Click on the arrow inthe Receipt Printer list and select the desired receipt printer from thedrop-down choices to enable this feature. If no printing is required(for example, when the system is in integrated mode) choose option “NoPrinter.” With full-page printing, the program can print in thefull-page format on any printer connected to the computer and installedin the Windows® system. In full-page printing mode, orders sorted on theMain Screen may be printed in a variety of way (refills, filled,doctors' orders, messages, etc.) in full-page format.

The Terminal Integration, Terminal Emulation and Modem sections of theOptions deal with the integration of the program with other PharmacyManagement Systems and some other applications. Each of them requiresdifferent special settings in the Integration, Terminal Emulation andModem sections. These sections will be preset or will be configured bythe authorized technician during the installation.

The program requires one to specify the holidays when the pharmacy isclosed so that it will not schedule prescription refills on those days.Click on the Holidays button in the main Setup window and the Holidayswindow will be displayed. Click on the each specific holiday on theholiday's list to select the holidays during which the pharmacy will beclosed for the whole day. When choosing a holiday on the list, it ishighlighted in red, both on the list and on the corresponding day. Ifthe pharmacy will be closed on a holiday that is not on the list, onemay manually designate a day for this holiday by clicking on that day onthe calendar (use the scroll bar under the calendar to find any day ofthe year). The program will display a dialog box to ask if one wouldlike to designate this day as a holiday. Click OK. To remove the Holidayfrom the schedule, click on the name of the Holiday on the list or dateof the Holiday on the calendar. The program will display a dialog box toask if one would like to remove this holiday from the office calendar.Click OK. Click the Close button when done to save the settings andreturn to the main Setup window.

The phone ports part of the Setup deals with the configuration oftelephony boards used in the computer as well as with actual layout ofthe telephone lines to the telephony boards ports. One may also choosewhich telephone lines are to be used for outbound calls to customerswhose refill orders are ready but were not picked up, or to remind themthat their medication is due to be refilled. Click on the Phone Portsbutton to display the Phone Ports Setup window. Select the first line toconfigure by clicking on the first row in the Phone Ports Setup window(the row pointer, a black arrow, will point to that row). Press the TABkey on the keyboard and the cursor will appear in the Phone Numberfield. Type in the phone line consecutive number (for the first phoneline in hunting sequence type in the number 1). Press the TAB key to theOutbound Call field. Click on the Arrow button for the choice and pickone of following: “Y” for making Outbound Calls from this line or “N”for not using the line for Outbound Calls. Repeat steps 2-3 for the restof the system telephone lines in the hunting sequence. Check theAutoattendant check box to activate this feature. This will enable theAutoattendant button in the Setup window. Click OK to close the windowand to return to the main Setup window.

The Outbound Call feature calls customers whose refill orders are readybut were not picked up, or to remind them that their medication is dueto be refilled. To use this feature and to create the default scheduleof outbound calls, click on the Outbound Calls button to display theOutbound Calls window. Check the Remind check box to activate thefeature. To create a schedule for calling out during weekdays click onthe Time to call weekdays arrow button. It will bring up a Time windowwith From field highlighted. First click on the hour the program is tostart calling customers. Then click on the minutes past the hour fromthe Minutes (Min.) row. If minutes are not chosen, double click on thehour. The To field will then be automatically highlighted. Select thetime the program is to stop calling and follow the same procedure asabove. The Time window will be automatically closed and will return tothe Outbound Call window (the scheduled period of time will appear inthe Time to Call Weekdays text box). To create a schedule for callingout during weekend click on the Time to Call Sat./Sun. arrow button.

The schedules that the program references when responding to customerrequests are created in the form of Templates. Templates allow one tochoose the hours that the pharmacy is open on any day, the days it isclosed, and to specify how much time to allow preparing an order.Templates are the main building blocks of the working schedule, and areflexible enough to adjust the schedule to any specific situation on adaily basis. The scheduling mechanism allows the program to letcustomers know when their prescription is going to be ready.

The program manages pickups and/or deliveries, but separate schedulesfor both of them should be created. In the main Setup window there aretwo sections—Pickup and Delivery. Check the Pickup check box to activatepickup scheduling and announce to customers the date and time theprescriptions will be ready. Check the Delivery check box if thepharmacy provides delivery service and one wants to activate schedulingof those deliveries.

There are two types of templates: weekly and daily templates. A weeklytemplate consists of the regular business hours during the normal weekand covers a full week, including the weekend. Daily templates areadditional templates for certain days that have an exceptional schedule,within a normal business week, different from the regular schedule (someholidays and/or days before holidays). The program requires a templatefor every day of the year except holidays, vacation and days off, ifany. Creation of a daily template is similar to the creation of a weeklytemplate except that one need not specify a day of the week and eachtemplate covers only one day at a time.

To create Weekly Templates, in the main Setup window check the Pickupcheck box and/or the Delivery check box, depending on which type oftemplate is to be created. Click on the Templates button in the Pickupor Delivery section. The program will display either the Templates:Pickup or the Templates: Delivery window. Click on the Add button. TheAdd Template: Pickup or the Add Template: Delivery window will appear.Choose a name for the template and type it in the Template Name textbox. Click on Backcolor to choose the background color of the templateas it will appear on the calendar. Select a basic color from the Basiccolors chart in the Color window and click OK, or refer to DefiningCustom Colors to use a color that is not on the basic chart. Choosedifferent colors for the templates, so they can be easily identified onthe calendar. Click on the Forecolor button to select the color of thetext that appears on the template. Repeat the same process for selectinga background color. Make sure that the Forecolor chosen is differentfrom the background color of the template. In the Template Type section,select the Weekly radial button to create a weekly template. Click onthe arrow button in the Day to include in weekly template list box andselect from the pull-down list of choices the first day of the week forscheduling. Click on the Add button. The Time window appears with theFrom field highlighted. Click on the hour the pharmacy opens or thestart hour of the delivery period, if creating a Delivery template. Thenselect the minutes past the hour from the Minutes (Min.) row. If minutesare not needed, double click on the hour. The To field will then beautomatically highlighted. Click on the time the pharmacy closes or thelast hour of the delivery period, if creating a Delivery template. Forexample, if the pharmacy opens at 9:00 AM and closes at 8:30 PM, selectthe 9 from the AM row and the 00 from the Minutes row (or just doubleclick on 9). When the To field is highlighted, select the 8 from the PMrow and the 30 from the Minutes row. Multiple working hours during oneday may be entered following the procedure described above thus creating“breaks” in the schedule with different preparation or deliveryintervals for each one. For example, one may create working hours from9:00 AM till 1:00 PM with preparation interval one hour and then you mayalso create another period from 2:00 PM till 8:00 PM with preparationinterval two hours for the same day.

To schedule a preparation or delivery interval, highlight the workinghours period by clicking on it in the table under the Day to include inweekly template if there is more then one. Then click on the arrowbutton in the Interval box and choose from the drop-down list of choicesa desired preparation or delivery interval to refill or deliver aprescription within highlighted working hours period. Each working hoursperiod may have a different interval assigned to it. The program willuse this information to tell customers the time after which theirprescriptions will be ready for pickup or delivery. Repeat these stepsfor every day of the week the pharmacy is open. One may edit any timeslot within a given day by selecting it from the table under the “Day toinclude in weekly template,” and either changing the Interval from thedrop-down list box or by clicking on the Edit button and reentering thebusiness hours. To erase a working hours interval, highlight it in thetable under the “Day to include in weekly template,” and click on theDelete button. Click OK when done with the current template. Thisreturns to the Templates screen (either Pickup or Delivery). Whenfinished, click Close.

One may also edit or delete any existing template at any time byselecting it in the Templates list and then clicking on the Edit orDelete button. When one selects template, the description of thetemplate in table format will appear. The process of creating the dailytemplates is similar to the process of creating the weekly templates. Inthe main Setup window check the Pickup check box and/or the Deliverycheck box, depending on which type of template is to be created. Clickon the Templates button in the Pickup or Delivery section. The programwill display either the Templates: Pickup or the Templates: Deliverywindow. Click on the Add button. The Add Template: Pickup or the AddTemplate: Delivery window will appear. Choose a name for the templateand type it in the Template Name text box. Later one may create morethan one weekly template so select a name that will distinguish betweenthem (e.g., Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day, New Year's Eve, etc.) Click onBackcolor to choose the background color of the template as it willappear on the calendar. Select a basic color from the Basic colors chartin the Color window and click OK, or use a color that is not on thebasic chart. Click on the Forecolor button to select the color of thetext that appears on the template. Repeat the same process used forselecting a background color. The Forecolor selected should be differentfrom the background color of the template. In the Template Type frame,select the radial button Daily to create a daily template. Click on theAdd button. The Time window appears with the From field highlighted.Click on the hour the pharmacy opens or the start hour of the deliveryperiod, if creating a Delivery template. Make sure you are in thecorrect row for the AM or PM hours. Then select the minutes past thehour from the Minutes (Min.) row. If minutes are not chosen, doubleclick on the hour. The To field will then be automatically highlighted.Click on the time the pharmacy closes or the last hour of the deliveryperiod, if creating a Delivery template. For example, if the pharmacyopens at 9:00 AM and closes at 6:30 PM, select the 9 from the AM row andthe 00 from the Minutes row (or just double click on 9). When the Tofield is highlighted, select the 6 from the PM row and the 30 from theMinutes row. Multiple working hours during one day can be entered thuscreating “breaks” in the schedule. For example, one may create workinghours from 9:00 AM till 1:00 PM and then create another period from 2:00PM till 6:30 PM for the same day.

To schedule a preparation or delivery interval, highlight the workinghours period by clicking on it in the table under Schedule Setup (ifthere is more then one period of time in the table). Then click on thearrow button in the Interval box and choose from the drop-down list ofchoices a desired preparation or delivery interval to refill or delivera prescription within highlighted working hours period. Each workinghours period may have a different interval assigned to it. The programwill use this information to tell customers the time after which theirprescriptions will be ready for pickup or delivery. One may edit anytime slot within a given day by selecting it from the table under “Dayto include in weekly template,” and either changing the Interval fromthe drop down list or by clicking on the Edit button and reentering thebusiness hours. To erase a working hours interval, highlight it in thetable under “Day to include in weekly template,” and click on the Deletebutton. Click OK when done with the current template. This will returnto the Templates screen (either Pickup or Delivery). When finished,click Close. One may also edit or delete any existing template at anytime by selecting it in the Templates list and then clicking on the Editor Delete button. When one selects template, the description of thetemplate in table format will appear underneath.

To define a custom color to be placed in the Custom Colors chart, fromthe Color screen, click on the Define Custom Colors button. Click on acolor area of the color palette. Adjust the illumination and content ofthe color by moving the white arrow found on the far right of the windowdown to the desired place. Unless the arrow is moved, the color willremain white. The farther down the arrow is moved, the darker the color.Click the Add to Custom Colors button when you have the desired color.Click on the color just defined from the Custom Colors chart to selectit. Click the OK button.

After creating Templates, the next step is Scheduling. Scheduling is theprocess of applying templates to certain days and weeks of the year. Inorder to accurately take orders and assign pickup or delivery times, theprogram will refer to the schedules and preparation times associatedwith the template for each particular day. Its important to know thatthe program does not allow for any gaps within any scheduled period oftime. Each and every date must have a template assigned to it (even ifit's a non-working day) from the first day scheduled in the calendaruntil the last day chosen to schedule. Schedules for any number ofweeks/days up to 3 years in advance may be created. If no template isapplied past the current date, the program will automatically extend thecurrent date template one day further.

In the Setup window, click on the Schedule button under either thePickup or Delivery heading, depending on which type of schedule is to becreated. The Schedule: Pickup or Schedule: Delivery window appears.Select the Template to be assigned by clicking on it once in the list ofTemplates. Use the mouse to move the scroll bar from month to monthuntil the period of the year to be to assigned to the template ispresented. If one is assigning a weekly Template, click on any day andthe entire week will be highlighted in the color of the templateselected in your list of templates. If one is assigning a dailytemplate, then click on the day (or days) to be assigned a template. Adaily template can overlap and replace any day(s) already assigned by aweekly template without affecting the schedule of the other days of theweek. It is therefore advisable to first apply weekly templates and thenoverlay daily templates on the dates, which need to be modified. Whenfinished, click OK to save the settings. The schedule for an entireyear, should be reviewed to assure that there are no gaps in theschedule.

When a customer calls to order a prescription, the program will ask themto indicate if it is an urgent request. In such a case, a caller willhear: “If this is an emergency call and your prescription must be pickedup immediately, press . . .” Urgent Refills are only offered tocustomers during business hours. The same templates assigned to thecalendar for normal pickups are used to process urgent pickups. However,Urgent Refills have a different (shorter) preparation interval. In thePickup section of the main Setup window, click on the Urgent Refillsbutton and the Urgent Call Setup: Pickup window will be displayed. Clickon the arrow button in the Urgent Prescription Pickup Interval box andfrom the drop-down list select a preparation interval for UrgentRefills. This interval also determines the period of time before closingthat Urgent Refills are offered. If one selects a “0.5 Hour” from theInterval menu, callers will be offered an Urgent Refill option untilhalf an hour before closing. One may choose the option to transfer anyurgent call that comes in “late-in-the-day” to the pharmacist. Toactivate this feature, click the Transfer Late Urgent Calls check box.Enter the number of hours before closing, when any urgent call isconsidered as “late,” in the Hours before closing text box. For example,entering a “1” would transfer any emergency call that is received onehour before closing time to the pharmacist. When finished, click OK tosave the settings. An urgent refill order is accepted by the systembefore transferring the call.

After all the setup procedures are completed, the program is ready touse. The program provided pull down menus or Toolbar buttons on top ofthe screen to perform different functions.

The Main Screen allows access to all the program's functions andutilities. Getting around the program is easy and intuitive. The upperpart of the screen contains the Menus buttons for the tasks one performsas a user. Most of the features are available through both Toolbarbuttons and menu commands. The Information Window displays all ordersreceived by the system over the telephone. The Phone Lines Buttons underthe Information window show the status of all incoming telephone linesserviced by the system. The Statistics Data Bar at the bottom of Mainscreen displays the Statistics Data and the current time and date.

The menu bar contains six pull-down menus. The following lists all theoptions available on the menus:

Menu Name Function File Menu Terminal Starts the Terminal Emulation ofthe existing pharmacy management system (non-integrated). The RT systemmust be connected with the pharmacy main PC before starting this feature(optional). Setup Opens the main Setup window. Deallocates all thetelephony lines. Print Prints all the information displayed on a screen(available if a full-page printer connected to the system). Exit Exitfrom the program. Orders Refill Displays only refill orders. DoctorDisplays only doctor's orders. Message Displays only voice messages.Unfilled Display all the orders in the system that have not been markedas filled yet. Current Displays all the orders that are due for thecurrent day. Show All Displays all the orders that are currently storedin the system, both filled and unfilled. Phone Log Displays the phonelog containing information about every call processed by the system.Search. . . Enables you to find an order searching by Date, by Type orby RxNumber Actions Mark As Filled Marks the selected order as filled.Play Voice Plays Voice Files. Available only if the selected order Fileshas a recorded voice file. Data Entry Displays the Data Entry window forplaying and transcribing voice messages and/or adding a note to theselected order. Delete Order Deletes the selected order from all screensexcept from the Phone Log screen. Directory Directory Displays theDirectory window where you can type in Customers and Doctors to betransferred directly to the pharmacy or to the Doctor Menu. OutCallPickup Displays the Pickup Reminder Outbound Call window Reminder whereyou can type in Customers to be called by the system to remind them thattheir orders are ready for pickup. Refill Displays the Refill ReminderOutbound Call window Reminder where you can type in Customers to becalled by the system to remind them that their medication is due to berefilled.

The Toolbar contains buttons, which are graphic representations ofutilities or functions that are available from the main screen. One mayclick on each button to start various commands. Many of the program'sfeatures are available both through Toolbar buttons and menu commands.The pop up HELP is available for your convenience by pointing the mousecursor over a button, which will show a brief description of thatbutton's function.

All information received by the program over the telephone is displayedin the table. As soon as new order comes in, one will hear the soundalert on the computer speakers and a new order will be displayed as thefirst row in the Information Window. New orders are always highlightedin a light green color. After the new order is processed and the orderstatus is changed to “filled” the order color will be immediately turnedto white. One can scroll through the window clicking by the mouse on theappropriate arrows of the scroll bar and select for further processingany order stored in the system. The following is a description of theelements of Information Window.

Row Pointer points to the selected row with black arrow located on theleft side of the window. One can move the pointer by clicking on the onewants want to select or by pressing the Up or Down Arrows keys on akeyboard.

Rx Number displays refill numbers in the order they were received withmost recent on top of the screen. By clicking on the Rx Number button(on column heading bar) one can sort the orders in ascending order bythe Rx numbers. The button will change its color to dark gray.

Call Time displays the date and time the orders have been received indescending order (default). By clicking on the Call Time button one maysort the orders by the incoming date and time in descending order. Thebutton will change its color to dark gray.

Telephone # displays telephone numbers entered by callers where they canbe reached. By clicking on the Telephone # button one may sort theorders by the telephone numbers in ascending order. The button willchange its color to dark gray. The program will not prompt a caller toenter the phone number where the caller can be reached in case the RxNumber and the phone number detected by the Caller ID match the samedata previously entered in any of the Outbound Calls tables. In thosecases the caller telephone number will not be displayed in the Telephone# column of the Information Window.

Caller ID displays the callers' telephone numbers captured by the systemfrom the telephone lines. By clicking on the Caller ID button one cansort the orders by the Caller ID numbers in ascending order. The buttonwill change its color to dark gray. By right clicking on a selected rowwith the Caller ID telephone number the customer name and the phonenumber will pop-up in a gray frame (available if the phone company canprovide the Caller ID service).

Type indicates type of service selected by a caller or how the call hasbeen processed by the system: Pickup indicates that the prescriptionwill be picked up by the customer after due time; Delivery indicatesthat customer chose the order be delivered; Urgent—indicates thatcustomer will pick up the order in a short period of time; Incomplindicates that customer did not select one of the above or did notlisten up to the end of the call processing and hung up. Messageindicates that voice mail was left in the system. On the Phone Logscreen in addition to all of the above types, may also be shown thefollowing: Rotary indicates calls made from a rotary telephone or bycustomers just staying on the line. Such calls are automaticallytransferred to the pharmacy during working hours or to the voice messagemodule after working hours. Hang up indicates calls where a customer didnot enter Rx number and hung up. Transfer indicates that the call hasbeen transferred to the pharmacy staff. Verif indicates that a customercalled to verify if the order is ready for pickup or delivery. Informindicates that a customer selected to listen to the General Informationabout the pharmacy. Pickup Rem/OK indicates that outbound call to acustomer for pickup reminding has been made successfully. Pickup Rem/BSYindicates that outbound call to a customer for pickup reminding has beenmade but at that time the customer's phone line was busy. The systemwill automatically make four more attempts to call back.

Pickup Rem/NA indicates that outbound call to a customer for pickupreminding has been made but at that time the call was not answered. Thesystem will automatically make four more attempts to call back. RxRem/OK indicates that an outbound call to a customer for a refillreminder has successfully been made. Rx Rem/BSY indicates that anoutbound call to a customer for a refill reminder has been made but atthat time the customer's phone line was busy. The system willautomatically make four more attempts to call back.

Rx Rem/NA indicates that outbound call to a customer for refill reminderhas been made but at that time the call was not answered. The systemwill automatically make four more attempts to call back.

Time Due is the date and time when the prescription is going to be readythat has been announced to the customer. Date and time due aredetermined according to the set of schedules.

Voice indicates whether a voice message has been recorded by a callerfor the order represented by the row.

Status shows the information on the current order status. Filledindicates that the order has been processed and ready for pickup ordelivery. All orders not marked as Filled are presumed unfilled. Deletedindicates that an order has been deleted by the pharmacy staff.

At the left lower corner of the Main screen there is a row of buttonsthat show all the incoming telephone lines serviced by the system. Eachbutton controls one incoming telephone line. The consecutive number ofthe telephone line is shown on each button. When a green light isdisplayed on the button it means that the line is serviced by the system(allocated) and is free to accept the phone call. If a red light isdisplayed it means that the line is in service (allocated) and the callis in progress (answered by the system). When no light is displayed onthe button (the button is blank) it means that this particular line isreallocated (not serviced by the system at the moment). To Reallocatethe telephone line, click on the button representing this line. If thebutton light is green (the line is free) a dialog box will appear askingfor confirmation to reallocate the line. If the button light is red (theline is busy) the system will wait until the phone line becomes free (inorder not to interrupt the conversation) and only then a dialog box willappear. Select Yes to reallocate the line, or No to keep the lineallocated. If one selects Yes, the message window will appear Wait,while the line is reallocated. Then the line button becomes blank. ToAllocate the telephone line, click on the blank button representing thisline. A dialog box will appear asking for confirmation to allocate theline. Select Yes to allocate the line, or No to keep the linereallocated. If one selects Yes, the message box will appear asking Waitwhile the line is allocated. Then a green light will appear on the linebutton. When the line is allocated the system answers calls after tworings. When the line is reallocated the system does not answer calls andtransfers them to the pharmacy after four rings.

Statistics Data Bar are located on the bottom of the Main screen. Thereare six windows displaying different counters regarding the systemactivity. From left to right, the following data are displayed: CallsToday, Refills Today, Doctors Today, Messages Today show the totalnumber of calls, refill and doctors orders and messages for the currentday respectively. Unfilled shows the total number of unfilled orders inthe system. The current time is displayed on the right end of the barand the current date will immediately pop up if one points the mousecursor to the current time. As orders are received and filled, thecounters will be automatically updated.

To exit the program click the Exit button on the Toolbar, or choose Exitfrom the File menu or press ALT+F4.

Once orders are received, there are many different ways to display them.Orders are displayed on the Main screen in the Information Window. Theprogram a record of all filled and unfilled orders for up to seven daysfrom the day they were received. Click on the Orders menu. In pull downmenu there are a number of options display the orders on the screen.Click one of the menu options or one of the buttons on the Toolbar asfollows: Refill to display only refill orders; Doctor to display onlydoctor's orders; Message to display only voice messages; Unfilled todisplay all the orders in the system which have not been marked asfilled yet; Current to display all the orders which are due for thecurrent day; Show All to display all the orders that are currentlystored in the system, both filled and unfilled; Phone Log to display thephone log containing information about every call in the system.

By default all the orders on the screen are displayed in the order theywere received (sorted by date and time in descending order). The mostrecent order is always on top of the screen. To view the orders sortedin a different way one may click on the heading button of the column bywhich one desires to sort the orders. After sort, the system remembersthe sort order and uses it in the future when displaying each of theabove screens. The sort order is indicated by the color of columnbutton, which turns to dark gray. One may sort orders by: Rx Number(ascending order); Call Time (descending order); Telephone # (ascendingorder); Caller ID (ascending order); Time Due (descending order); Status(ascending order). Use the scroll bar to move through the InformationWindow. One can also use keyboard shortcuts to move through theInformation Window, such as the arrow and PgUp/PgDn keys.

The Search menu provides the tools for finding a specific order using avariety of search criteria. Click on the Orders menu. Click on theSearch option. On the next pull down menu choose a search method byclicking one of the following: by Date to search based on the date theprescriptions are due; by Type to search based on the type ofprescription (Pickup, Delivery, Urgent, Incomplete, Doctor, Message); orby Rx Number to search by the specific Rx number of the prescription.After a search, the search results will be displayed on the Main screen.On the next pull down menu narrow the search by specifying the type oforder. Click one of the following: The type of order: Pickup, Delivery,Urgent, Incomplete, and Doctor; Message to search through the voicemessages; All to search through all the types of orders.

If searching by Date, the system displays the Date Selection screen. Usethe scroll bar to find the month and click the day of that month. ClickOK to display all orders that were due on the selected date. Ifsearching by Type, the system displays all refill orders of that type onthe Main screen. If searching by Rx Number, the system displays the RxNumber Selection screen. Choose the Rx number from the list by clickingon it and click OK to display the details of the order.

After completing an order, one marks the order as Filled on the Mainscreen. This changes the order status from Unfilled to Filled. If one isdisplaying only Unfilled orders, the row will disappear from the Mainscreen when marked as Filled. Select the order filled by clicking on therow in the Information Window of the Main screen (the row pointer, ablack arrow, will point to that row which is highlighted in light greencolor). Click on the Mark As Filled button on the Toolbar or select theMark As Filled from the Actions menu. The row will change its color towhite and order status will be marked as Filled. If one changes thestatus of an order from Unfilled to Filled and needs to change it backfor some reason, click on the Show Current or Show All buttons on theToolbar and display the Current or All Orders screens. Select the MarkedAs Filled order whose status is to be changed back by clicking on theappropriate row. Click on the Clear Status button (which is the sameMark As Filled button crossed now by the red line) on the Toolbar orunder the Actions menu select the option Clear Status. The row willchange its color back to light green and the order status to unfilled(the status field is blank).

To delete orders, select the order to be deleted by clicking on the rowin the Information Window of the Main screen (the row pointer, a blackarrow, will point to that row). Click on the Delete Order button on theToolbar, or select Delete Order from the Actions menu. A dialog box willappear asking for confirmation to delete the order. Select Yes to deletethe order, or No to keep the order in the system. If Yes, the orderstatus will be changed to Deleted. The deleted order will be displayedon the screen (in case it is deleted by mistake so that it can beundeleted immediately) until a new order comes or one selects anotherscreen. Then the deleted order will be shown only on the Phone Logscreen. All deleted orders are stored in the system and displayed on thePhone Log screen where they can be accessed.

If an order was mistakenly deleted, click on the Phone Log button on theToolbar. The Phone Log screen will be displayed. Select the deletedorder by clicking on it. Click on the Undo Delete button on the Toolbaror select an Undo Delete option from the Actions menu. The order willchange its status to Unfilled (the status field is blank) and willappear on all screens highlighted in light green color.

If one has activated the Ask for Refill Message option in the Setup,then any customer who wishes to leave any instructions for the pharmacystaff or include additional items with their order will be offered theoption of leaving a voice message specifying their request. The systemindicates that a Refill Message has been left if a Yes appears in theVoice column of the Information Window for this refill order. Toretrieve the recording of the Refill Message, select an order thatincludes Refill Message by simply clicking on the row of the InformationWindow. Click on the Play Voice Files button on the Toolbar or selectPlay Voice Files option from the Actions menu to hear the recording. Ifone desired to make a note or transcribe the Refill Message and print itout for reference, click on the Data Entry button on the Toolbar and theRefill screen will be displayed. On the Refill screen one may play voicefile by clicking on the Play, Stop, Start, Back, Forward or End buttons;type the information that was recorded in the Memo window; print thetyped in information by clicking on the Print button. Choose the printerto print the typed in information by clicking on the Print Setup button(available only if a full-page printer is connected to the system).

If one activated the Doctor's Orders option in the Setup, the systemwill provide a Main voice menu item “Doctors Only Press . . .” wheredoctors or their assistants will be prompted to record refillauthorizations or a general voice message. Doctor's orders are displayedon the Doctor Orders or All screens with type “Doctor” and blank “RxNumber field. When at least one voice file has been recorded there willbe “Yes” in the Voice column. To work with the Doctor's order, selectDoctor's order by clicking on the row in the Information Window. One maylisten to all the information recorded by the doctor by clicking on thePlay Voice Files button on the Toolbar or by selecting Play Voice Filesoption from the Actions menu. To control the play back of the voice fileand/or transcribe the information that was recorded, click on the DataEntry button on the Toolbar. The Doctor screen will be displayed. On theDoctor screen one may; play voice file by clicking on the Play, Stop,Start, Back, Forward or End buttons; type the information that wasrecorded in the Memo window; print the Doctor Order by clicking on thePrint button; choose the printer to print the typed in information byclicking on the Print Setup button (available only if a full-pageprinter is connected to the system). As Doctors may record prescriptioninformation for unlimited number of patients in one recording, one mayplay and type in the patient's name, address and telephone number andprescription information for each patient individually.

Depending on the setting chosen in the Receipt Printer Setup and thetype of printer used, the orders may be printed as follows. With thenarrow receipt printer, the system will automatically print every orderreceived. When one clicks on the Print button on the Refill or Doctorscreens, the order will be reprinted including the typed information.With a regular full-page printer the system will not automatically printevery incoming order. One may print orders in full page format at anytime as follows, choose the screen (Unfilled, Refills, Doctors, PhoneLog, etc.) to be printed by clicking on the appropriate button on theToolbar or by selecting from the Orders menu. One may also use theSearch option from the Orders menu to print orders sorted by Type or byDate. Under the File menu, click on Print. The Print window appears witha list of the printers that are connected. Select the desired printer byclicking on it (it remains as the printer in use until a differentprinter is selected). To print the orders displayed on the screen clickon the Print button in the Print window. The system prints a full-pagedocument on the printer. For convenience once a printer is selected, onecan also use the Print button on the Toolbar at the top of the mainscreen for all screen printing. A full-page document will be printed onthe previously selected printer. In the Receipt Printer modem theprinter must be maintained on line otherwise the printing error box willappear on the screen and all the incoming orders will be kept in queue.

If one selected the Activate Voice Messaging option in Setup, thencustomers may just leave a voice message for the pharmacy staff withoutplacing an order. All voice messages received are stored in the systemand can be retrieved through the speakers and/or headphones as follows:select a Voice Message by clicking on the row of the Information Window.Click on the Play Voice Files button on the Toolbar or select Play VoiceFiles option from the Actions menu to hear the recording. If one wouldlike to make a note or transcribe the Message and print it out forreference, click on the Data Entry button on the Toolbar and the Messagescreen will be displayed. On the Message screen one may play the voicefile by clicking on the Play, Stop, Start, Back, Forward or End buttons.Type the information that was recorded in the Memo window. Print thetyped in information by clicking on the Print button. Choose the printerto print the typed information by clicking on the Print Setup button(available only if a full-page printer is connected to the system).

In order to provide more flexible and personalized service to customersand doctors, the program has the Directory of callers who for somereason are not comfortable using the system and who need to betransferred directly to the pharmacy staff entirely bypassing thesystem. The Directory also the doctors' calls to be routed directly tothe Doctor's Voice Menu thus bypassing the Main Voice Menu. Routing thedoctors who use the system frequently and who prefer to be immediatelyrouted to the Doctor's Voice Menu will substantially reduce the time oftheir interaction with the system.

To Add a new customer or doctor to the Directory, click on Directorymenu on the Menus bar. The Directory window will appear. Click on theName text box to place the cursor there. Enter the customer or doctor'sname in the Name box. Press TAB on the keyboard or click on theTelephone text box. Enter the customer's or doctor's phone numberincluding the area code in the Telephone text box. The Add button willbecome enabled. The local area code will always be present in thebrackets in the Telephone text box. If the customer's or doctor's phonenumber has an area code different from the local area code one caneasily erase the existing area code and type a new one over it. PressTAB or click on the Note text box. Enter the doctor's office name orcomments about the customer in the Note text box. Press TAB or click onthe Type drop-down list box. Select Transfer to route all future callsfrom this customer or doctor directly to pharmacy phones bypassing thesystem or select Doctor to route all future calls from this doctordirectly to the Doctor's Voice Menu. Click on the Add button to enterthe new record in the Directory. It will appear as the top line in thewindow table. Click on the Exit button to close the Directory and savethe record. For doctor's offices and customers who have multipletelephone lines which they might use to call to a pharmacy, all phonenumbers for those lines have to be entered into the Directory.

To Edit the existing record in the Directory, click on the Directorymenu on the Menus bar. The Directory window will appear. Click on therow with the record you want to edit (the row pointer, a black arrow,will point to that row). The information from the selected record willappear in the text boxes for editing. The Edit button will becomeenabled. One may change the Name, Note and Type of the selected record.Click on the Edit button to change the existing record and all thechanges will appear in the selected row. Click on the Exit button toclose the Directory. For quickly finding a specific record, sort therecords by clicking on the heading button of the column which is to besorted and display the records. The sort order is indicated by the colorof the column button, which turns to dark gray. One may sort records byName, Office or Telephone in ascending order.

To Add additional telephone numbers for the same caller, click on theDirectory menu on the Menus bar. The Directory window will appear. Clickon the row with the record to be changed (the row pointer, a blackarrow, will point to that row). The information from the selected recordwill appear in the text boxes. Change the Telephone number of theselected record. The Add button will become enabled. One may also editthe rest of information for this record. Click on the Add button to addan additional telephone number for the same caller. Click on the Exitbutton to close the Directory.

To Delete the existing record in the Directory, select the record todelete by clicking on the row in the Directory (the row pointer, a blackarrow, will point to that row). Click on the Delete button. A dialog boxwill appear asking for confirmation to delete the record. Select Yes todelete the record, or No to keep the record in the Directory. SelectYes, the record will be deleted. Click on the Exit button to close theDirectory.

The Outbound Calls feature allows the system to automatically placereminder calls at certain times to the customers whose refills are readybut have not been picked up or whose prescriptions are due for refill.After the system places the automated call the result of the callappears in the Result column of the Outbound Call directories. OKindicates that outbound call to a customer has been made successfully(the customer answered the call or a message has been left on thecustomer's answering machine). Pickup, Delivery or Incompl indicate thatoutbound call to a customer for refill reminding has been madesuccessfully and the customer has immediately ordered the prescriptionduring the outbound call. Calls 1, 2 or 3 indicates that outbound callsto a customer have been made one, two or three times but the customer'sphone line was busy or not answered at those times. The system willautomatically make up to four attempts to call back. NG indicates thatoutbound calls to a customer have been made but after four attempts thecalls have not gone through.

Refill Reminder calls customers and reminds them that their prescriptionis due to be refilled. After the outbound calls schedule in the RefillReminder directory is created, the system automatically calls to thecustomers at a scheduled time using the designated phone lines andinforms them that a certain prescription (Rx Number) is due for refill.The customer has an option to place a refill order immediately duringthe outbound call, scheduling a pickup or a delivery.

To Add a new customer or a new Rx Number to the Refill Reminderdirectory, select Refill Reminder from the OutCall menu. The RefillReminder Outbound Call window appears. Enter the customer's name in theName text box. Press TAB on the keyboard or click on the Telephone textbox. Type the customer's phone number including the area code in thisfield. The local area code will always be present in the brackets in theTelephone text box. It can be changed by erasing the existing local areacode and entering a phone number with a different area code. Press TABor click on the Rx Number text box. Enter the Rx Number of theprescription, which is due to be refilled. The Add button will becomeenabled. Click on the Add button to enter the new record in the RefillReminder directory. By default it will appear in the directory in thesorted by name row to be called at the scheduled date and time (as ithas been previously scheduled in the Setup). Click on the Exit button toclose the Refill Reminder directory. Every Rx Number for each customerhas to be entered as a separate record. To enter a duplicate record, adialog box will appear asking for confirmation to update the duplicatedrecord. Select Yes to update the record, or No to keep the record in theDirectory. If Yes, the outbound call will be scheduled at the defaultdate and time (as it has been previously scheduled in the Setup).

To Edit the existing record in the Refill Reminder directory, selectRefill Reminder from the OutCall menu. The Refill Reminder Outbound Callwindow appears. Click on the row with the record for edit (the rowpointer, a black arrow, will point to that row). The information fromthe selected record will appear in the text boxes for editing. The Addand Edit buttons will become enabled. For quickly finding the specificrecord, sort the records by clicking on the heading button of the columnfor sort and display the records. The sort order is indicated by thecolor of the column button, which turns to dark gray. One may sortrecords by Rx Number, Telephone or Name in ascending order. One may makechanges in the Rx Number, Telephone or Name text boxes for the selectedrecord. Click on the Edit button to change the existing record and allthe changes will appear in the selected row to be called at the defaultdate and time. Click on the Add button to add an additional record forthe same customer. By default it will appear in the directory in thesorted by name row to be called at the scheduled date and time. Click onthe Call field of the selected row to change the call status and thearrow button will appear. Click on the Arrow button and a drop-down listbox will appear. Select “Y” for making an outbound call at the defaultdate and time. Select “N” to cancel a call for this record (can bechange to “Y” at a later time). Click on the Date field to edit the dateof calling out Date window will be displayed. Use the scroll bar to findthe month and click on the desired day of that month. Click OK and theselected date will appear in the Date field of the selected row. Clickthe time field of the selected row to edit a scheduled time for callingout. It will bring up a Time window with the From field highlighted.First click on the hour the program is to start calling out tocustomers. Then click on the minutes past the hour from the Minutes(Min.) row. If minutes are not chosen, double click on the hour. The Tofield will be automatically highlighted. Select the time the program isto stop calling out. The Time window will be automatically closed andthe scheduled period of time will appear in the selected Time field.Click on the Exit button to close the Refill Reminder directory.

To Delete the existing record in the Directory, select the record to bedeleted by clicking on the row in the Refill Reminder directory (the rowpointer, a black arrow, will point to that row). Click on the Deletebutton. A dialog box will appear asking for confirmation to delete therecord. Select Yes to delete the record, or No to keep the record. IfYes, the record will be deleted. Click on the Exit button to close theRefill Reminder directory.

One may make automated calls to customers whose refills are ready buthave not been picked up. The process of using the Pickup ReminderOutbound the same as Refill Reminder Outbound Calls.

To Add a new customer or a new Rx Number to the Pickup Reminderdirectory, select Pickup Reminder from the OutCall menu. The PickupReminder Outbound Call window appears. Follow the steps for adding a NewRecord, above.

To Edit the existing record in the Pickup Reminder directory, selectPickup Reminder from the OutCall menu. The Pickup Reminder Outbound Callwindow appears. Follow steps for editing the record, above.

To Delete the existing record in the Directory, select the record to bedeleted by clicking on the row in the Pickup Reminder directory (the rowpointer, a black arrow, will point to that row). Follow the steps forDeleting the Record, above.

The remote prescription refill system of the present invention differsfrom the stand-alone system in that a number of functions are allocatedto a remote location. In the remote system of the present invention, thecall answering feature of the invention can be transferred to a centralstation. Appropriate computer equipment and associated software is inplace at the central station to permit refill order information to beobtained at the central station. This refill order information can thenbe forwarded to the pharmacy in any of a number of ways.

As shown in the flowchart of FIG. 1, a caller calling the pharmacy canbe dealt with in one of four different ways depending on how the userpre-sets the functions of the system.

In Case 1, the Pharmacy main phone line is call forwarded to the centralstation telephone number when the pharmacy is closed. In Case 2, thePharmacy main phone line is call forwarded to the central stationtelephone number temporarily during peak periods. In Case 3, if allpharmacy lines are busy overflow calls are forwarded to the centralstation telephone number. In Case 4, the Pharmacy has designated thecentral station telephone number as the refill phone line seven days aweek, twenty-four hours a day.

The central station automatically processes, receives, schedules andtransmits the refill pharmacy orders. The central station can refillorder information in any of a number of ways. For example, allafter-hours orders can be transmitted in a batch, when the pharmacyopens, or the central station can transmit orders at specified intervalsduring pharmacy working hours, or the central station can transmitorders when the pharmacist calls to retrieve the orders.

Orders can be sent by the central station to the pharmacy in one or moreof a number of ways such as via telefax, or via modem to a pharmacy PCprogrammed to receive the orders over the Internet or via e-mail, or ona pharmacy pager, or in some combination. If a PC is used by thepharmacy, a portion of the stand-alone software is utilized to permitthe pharmacist to view the orders and to hear voice messages.

The present invention also differs from the stand-alone system in thatthere is no need for hardware or software resident in the individualpharmacy receiving telephone calls. Rather, calls coming to all orselected telephone lines in the pharmacy can be forwarded via atoll-free number to the central station's central server, where ordersfor prescription refills can be input via the customer's touch tonetelephone buttons and/or voice messages can be recorded. These ordersare then forwarded to the pharmacy in one of the desired manners.

To the customer or doctor whose call is answered by the remote refillsystems of the present invention, it appears as if a computer in thepharmacy is answering the call. He/she can key in one or more Rx numbersand/or leave a voice message with special instructions such asadditional items to be included in the order. The pharmacist has anoption to record sale promotion announcements and change them at anytime. The present invention can also provide multilanguage support topharmacy customers.

In the remote system invention, most of the setup functions and optionsdescribed in connection with the stand-alone system are now resident incentral server rather then in a computer resident in the pharmacy, andare performed, where necessary, by central station personnel rather thanthe pharmacy staff.

The detailed operations of the remote refill system of the presentinvention for the customer, the pharmacy subscriber and the centralstation staff are hereinafter described.

When a pharmacy implements service under the present invention, thepharmacy receives a specific telephone number, preferably a toll-freenumber to a central station to which a pharmacy calls will be forwarded.Additionally, the pharmacy will obtain a password for orders retrieval.The system is then available to be used by the pharmacy in a number ofdifferent ways, at the option of the pharmacy staff:

After-hours Service: To take refill orders and/or voice messages whenthe pharmacy is closed, the pharmacy must order the Call Forwardingfeature from the local telephone company for the main pharmacy telephoneline and activate it when the pharmacy is closed.

Overflow Service: To answer “overflow” calls—that is, when duringworking hours all pharmacy telephone lines are busy or not beinganswered, the system of the present invention can be used to answer thecalls and either take a refill order and/or allow the customer or doctorto leave a voice message. For this service the pharmacy must order “CallForwarding-Busy Line/Don't Answer” from the local telephone company, andwhen all lines are in use or are not being answered, all incoming callswill be automatically forwarded to a pre-set toll-free telephone numberat the central station.

Peak Time Service: To answer all telephone calls to a pharmacy and takerefill orders and/or ask the customer or doctor to leave a voice message(used mostly when the staff is too busy to answer the telephone duringpeak periods of store activity), regular Call Forwarding is needed forthe main telephone line and can be activated when needed.

Dedicated Refill Line Service: To answer all calls to a separate tollfree telephone line advertised by the pharmacy as the special “refillline” to call when the customer wishes to only order a prescriptionrefill (with an optional voice message attached to the order), thepharmacy needs to advertise, as a special refill line, the toll freenumber provided by the central station.

During sign up for the invention, the pharmacist should provide thefollowing data to be entered into the setup of the pharmacy account inthe central server: the pharmacy name, approved texts of initialgreeting, general information and after-hours announcements to beprofessionally recorded and uploaded into the central server; thepharmacy's local area code and voice phone numbers; the work schedulefor a regular week and for all holidays when the pharmacy is open (FIG.6.); all holidays and other specific days when the pharmacy is closed(FIG. 5); length of refill identification number; length of customerphone number (with or without area code); prescription preparationinterval for scheduling refill pickup or delivery; select foreignlanguages if multilingual support is desired; the pharmacy FAX numberand/or the modem telephone line number and/or pharmacy pager numberand/or e-mail address for order transmission.

When the central service setup is complete by the central station staffand the service is activated, the server is ready to receive the call inorders and messages at any time, 24 hours a day. At specified intervals,this central server automatically calls the pharmacy and transmits allthe orders to the pharmacy that have arrived since the last time orderswere transmitted such transmission can take place in one of five ways:

1. To a fax machine. 2. To a personal computer at the pharmacy by modem.The pharmacy, utilizing a portion of the software from the stand-aloneversion can handle and utilize the information in much the same way asthe stand-alone system, despite the fact that the refill orders re beingplaced at a remote location. Thus, all orders appear on a monitor(through modem dial-up connection or over the Internet). 3. To apharmacy numeric and alpha-numeric pager (which can also be used as aalternative way of communication in emergency cases and when pharmacyFAX or modem does not respond). 4. To a pharmacy e-mail address (ifany). Alternatively, the refill order information can remain at thecentral station and be retrieved by the pharmacy by calling in to thecentral station.

Where a voice message is attached to the order, it is so indicated inthe order transmitted to the pharmacy report and the pharmacy staff cancall the central station at the same toll free number to retrieve themessages and/or orders as they are saved in the central computer. Withthe client software installed in the pharmacy PC, voice messages can beretrieved through the PC speakers by pointing and clicking on the order.Client software installed in the pharmacy PC is a short but a fullmultimedia version of the stand-alone version of the software andincludes modem and e-mail communication modules.

The central station, service center, is a centralized facility where asingle computer could be located or specialized servers couldcommunicate over a LAN. Each server or group of servers performsspecific functions and exchanges information with other servers. In apreferred embodiment, the invention consists of the following servers:Database Server (DS)—dedicated Windows NT server running Microsoft SQLServer DBMS. DS hosts the database Refill that stores all the data onthe system. A number of SQL Server stored procedures are used toretrieve and manage data. There are the following tables in Refilldatabase: Lines—the table contains configuration and description of allthe servers on the system. It is used to reconfigure servers byallocating or deallocating lines. Refill—main table that stores all theorders and other call information. CommPorts—table that sets theconfiguration of communication ports on all the servers. There are a fewother auxiliary programs that reside on Database server: Setup with MSAccess Setup Database (SD). SD resides on DS but can be accessed andmodified from any computer on the network that has a client copy ofSetup program and proper access authority. SQLMonitor—program thatconstantly monitors the status of all the servers on the network andproduces the pager alert if any of the servers do not respond properly.Telephony/Fax Server (TFS)—computer that takes telephone refill orders,doctors' scripts and voice messages for the pharmacy staff and sends thefax with Transaction Log to the store. Multiple TFSs are connected to DSvia the LAN. TFS is the Windows NT client with multiple Dialogictelephony and fax boards installed. Up to three T1 telephone lines willterminate at each TFS. TFSs can only communicate and exchange data withDS.

The following programs are running on the TFS: T1VoiceFaxManager—serverprogram that monitors and supervises up to 72 telephone lines (T1 timeslots) for accepting the incoming and outgoing telephone and fax calls.T1VoiceFax—client program that handles one specific telephone line (T1time slot) and actually processes incoming and outgoing voice and faxcalls. Up to 72 T1VoiceFax programs can run on each TFS. Modem Server(MS)—computer that transmits transactions (including digitized voicefiles) taken by TFS to workstation in the pharmacy. Transactions canthen be accessed through client GUI screens. Multiple MSs are connectedto DS via the LAN. MS is the Windows NT client with multiple analog ordigital modems installed. MSs can only communicate and exchange datawith DS. The following programs are running on the TFS:T1ModemManager—server program that monitors and supervises all modemconnections. T1Modem—client programs that actually transmit data throughindividual communication port. Internet Server (IS)—computer that hostsRT Web site. Pharmacy customers can log on to the Web site from anywherein the world and order their prescription refills. Orders, enteredthrough the Internet are inserted into the Refill database on DS and thepharmacy can be notified either via fax (VFS) or modem (MS).

The Initial Announcement is the first announcement customers hear whenthey access the invention. At least one initial announcement shouldalways be present. The General Announcement is a feature that mayprovide callers with general information about the pharmacy (e.g.,hours, directions, promotional and sale information etc.) TheAfter-Hours Announcements will only be played when the store is closedand provides callers with after-hours emergency related information.

The present invention requests customers' phone numbers in case theyneed to be reached. The “Seven Digits” customer phone number in the signup sheet is chosen if the pharmacy services a local region with only onearea code and one does not want to request an area code with thecustomer's phone number. The “Ten Digits” customer phone number in thesign up sheet is chosen if the pharmacy serves customers from more thanone area code region

The invention requires that the number of digits in the Rx Number usedin the Pharmacy (any number between 3 and 10 excluding letters,preceding or succeeding if any) be specified. The invention willvalidate a customer's entry to ensure the correct number of digits hasbeen punched in. If necessary (for example, if one uses Rx numbers oftwo different lengths) one may choose a variable length for the Rxnumber. If the variable length of the Rx number is chosen, the systemwill prompt customers to follow the input of the Rx number by the “#”sign. In any case, the system will play back to customers the entered Rxnumbers for verification.

To start the resident version of the invention, i.e., where there is aPC at the pharmacy utilizing the “front-end” of the software, turn thepower on to start the computer. On the Windows desktop screen click onthe Start button. Click on Programs and then click on the invention'sicon. When the program starts, it displays the title screen briefly andthen the main screen appears. It is important to check that thecomputer's date and time settings are correct before starting theinvention.

To access the Setup screen, click on File—Setup and the Setup screenwill be displayed. When you finished, click OK to save the settings.

Pharmacy Name (FIG. 2)—When first starting the invention, enter thepharmacy name in the Setup window by typing the name of the pharmacyinto the Pharmacy Name text box.

New Order Sound Alert (FIG. 2)—When a new order is received, its arrivalmay be immediately announced by a sound from computer speakers. Checkthe New Order—Sound Alert check box to activate this feature.

Storing Orders (FIG. 5)—The choose the number of days' worth of orders(from 2 to 7 days) that will be stored in the system and displayed onthe main screen may be chosen. Click on the Days to Store text box anddelete the existing number. Type in the desired number of days forstoring orders in the system.

Printing (FIG. 4)—There are two different ways of printing orders in theinvention, Receipt Printing and Full-page Printing.

Receipt Printing—All orders are printed automatically on the receipt(cash register type) printer in the form of order slip as soon as theyare received. Click on the arrow in the Receipt Printer list box andselect the desired receipt printer from the drop-down choices to enablethis feature. If printing is not needed, choose option “No Printer.”

Full-Page Printing—The invention can print in the full-page format onany printer connected to the computer and installed in the Windowssystem. In full-page printing mode orders sorted on the Main Screen canbe printed in a variety of way (refills, filled, doctor's orders,messages, etc.) in full-page format.

FIG. 3 is the Options screen wherein the address of pharmacy is input,the amount of the phone number digits can be requested (seven or ten),and other options can be set. FIG. 4 is the announcement screen whereannouncements can be selected. FIG. 5 is the holiday schedule screenwhere holidays can be selected. FIG. 7 is the pharmacy schedule screenwhere the pharmacy schedule can be set.

After the setup procedures, are complete, the invention operates usingeither pull down menus or the Toolbar buttons on top of the screen toperform different functions. The Main Screen allows access all thefunctions and utilities. The upper part of the screen contains the Menusand the Toolbar buttons for the tasks. Most of the features areavailable through both Toolbar buttons and menu commands. TheInformation Window displays all orders received by the system over thetelephone. The Statistics Data Bar at the bottom of Main screen displaysthe Statistics Data.

The menu bar contains four pull-down menus. The following table listsall the options available on the menus.

Menu Name Function File Menu Setup Opens the main Setup window.Deallocates all the telephony lines. Print Prints all the informationdisplayed on a screen (available if a full-page printer connected to thesystem). Exit Exit from the program. Orders Doctor Displays onlydoctor's orders. Message Displays only voice messages. Unfilled Displayall the orders in the system that have not been marked as filled yet.Current Displays all the orders that are due for the current day. ShowAll Displays all the orders that are currently stored in the system,both filled and unfilled. Phone Log Displays the phone log containinginformation about every order received by the system. Actions Mark AsFilled Marks the selected order as filled. Play Voice Plays Voice Files.Available only if the selected order Files has a recorded voice file.Data Entry Displays the Data Entry window for playing and transcribingvoice messages and/or adding a note to the selected order. Delete OrderDeletes the selected order from all screens except from the Phone Logscreen.

The Toolbar contains buttons, which are graphic representation ofutilities or functions of the invention that are available from the mainscreen. Each button starts various commands. The pop up help isavailable by pointing the mouse cursor over a button, which will show abrief description of that button's function.

All information received by the invention over the telephone isdisplayed in the table. As soon as a new order comes in, a sound alerton the computer speakers is generated and a new order(s) will bedisplayed as the first row(s) in the Information Window. New orders arealways highlighted by color. After processing the new order and changingthe order status to “filled” the order color is immediately changed.

Row Pointer points to the selected row with a black arrow located on theleft side of the window. Move the pointer by clicking on the row to beselected or by pressing the Up or Down Arrows keys on a keyboard.

Rx Number (FIGS. 8-9) displays refill numbers in the order received withmost recent on top of the screen. Clicking on the Rx Number button (oncolumn heading bar), sorts the orders in ascending order by the Rxnumbers. The button changes its color.

Call Time (FIGS. 8-9) displays the date and time the orders have beenreceived in descending order (default). Clicking on the Call Time buttonsorts the orders by the incoming date and time in descending order. Thebutton will changes its color.

Telephone # (FIGS. 8-9) displays telephone numbers entered by callerswhere they can be reached. Clicking on the Telephone # button sorts theorders by the telephone numbers in ascending order. The button willchange its color.

Type (FIGS. 8-9) indicates type of service selected by a caller or howthe call has been processed by the system; Pickup indicates that theprescription will be picked up by the customer after due time; Deliveryindicates that customer chose that the order be delivered; Incomplindicates that customer did not select one of the above or did notlisten up to the end of the call processing and hung up.

Doctor indicates Doctor's call.

Message indicates that voice mail was left in the system.

On the Phone Log screen in addition to all of the above types, may alsobe shown the following: Rotary indicates calls made from a rotarytelephone or by customers just staying on the line. Such calls areautomatically routed to the voice message module. Hang up indicatescalls where a customer did not enter Rx number and hung up. “Inform”indicates that a customer selected to listen to the General Informationabout the pharmacy.

Time Due (FIGS. 8-9) shows date and time when the prescription is goingto be ready that has been announced to the customer. Date and time dueare determined according to the set of schedules programmed in theinvention.

Voice (FIGS. 8-9) indicates if a voice message has been recorded by acaller for the order represented by the row.

Status (FIGS. 8-9) shows the information on the current order status.Filled indicates that the order has been processed and ready for pickupor delivery. All orders that are not marked as Filled are presumedunfilled. Deleted indicates that an order has been deleted by thepharmacy staff.

Statistics Data Bar (FIGS. 8-9) On the bottom of the Main screen thereare six windows displaying different counters regarding the systemactivity. From left to right, the following data are displayed: CallsToday, Refills Today, Doctors Today, Messages Today show the totalnumber of calls, refill and doctors orders and messages for the currentday respectively. Unfilled shows the total number of unfilled orders inthe system. As orders are received and filled, the counters will beautomatically updated.

Orders may be sorted and viewed in different ways. Orders are displayedon the Main screen in the Information Window. The invention keeps arecord of all filled and unfilled orders for up to seven days from theday they were received.

Click one of the following menu options or one of the following buttonson the Toolbar (FIG. 9): Refill to display only refill orders; Doctor todisplay only doctor's orders; Message to display only voice messages;Unfilled to display all the orders in the system which have not yet beenmarked as filled; Current to display all the orders which are due forthe current day; Show All to display all the orders that are currentlystored in the system, both filled and unfilled; and Phone Log to displaythe log containing information about every order in the system includingdeleted ones.

By default all the orders on the screen are displayed in the orderreceived (sorted by date and time in descending order). The most recentorder is always on top of the screen. To view the orders sorted in adifferent way, click on the heading button of the column by which theorders are to be sorted. After the sort, the invention remembers thesort order chosen and uses it in future when displaying each of theabove screens. The sort order is indicated by the color of columnbutton. Orders can be sorted by: Rx Number (ascending order); Call Time(descending order); Telephone # (ascending order); Time Due (descendingorder); Status (ascending order).

After completing an order, it is marked as Filled on the Main screen.This changes the order status from Unfilled to Filled. If displayingonly Unfilled orders, the row will disappear from the Main screen whenmarked as Filled. Select the order filled by clicking on the row in theInformation Window of the Main screen (the row pointer, a black arrow,will point to that row which is highlighted in color). Click on the MarkAs Filled button on the Toolbar or select the Mark As Filled from theActions menu. The row will change its color and order status will bemarked as Filled. If the status of an order from Unfilled to Filled mustbe changed back, click on the Show Current or Show All buttons on theToolbar and display the Current or All Orders screens. Select the MarkedAs Filled order whose status is to be changed back by clicking on theappropriate row. Click on the Clear Status button (which is the sameMark As Filled button crossed now by a red line) on the Toolbar or underthe Actions menu select the option Clear Status. The row changes itscolor back to its original color and the order status to unfilled (thestatus field is blank).

To delete an order, select the order to be deleted by clicking on therow in the Information Window of the Main screen (the row pointer, ablack arrow, will point to that row). Click on the Delete Order buttonon the Toolbar, or select Delete Order from the Actions menu. A dialogbox will appear asking confirmation to delete the order. Select Yes todelete the order, or No to keep the order in the system. If Yes, theorder status will be changed to Deleted. The deleted order will bedisplayed on the screen (in case it was deleted by mistake and wouldlike to undelete it immediately) until a new order comes or anotherscreen is selected. Then the deleted order will be shown only on thePhone Log screen. All deleted orders are stored in the system anddisplayed on the Phone Log screen where they can be accessed. If anorder was deleted by mistake and would like to reverse this action,click on the Phone Log button on the Toolbar. The Phone Log screen willbe displayed. Select the deleted order by clicking on it (for quicklyfinding the deleted order sort orders by status by clicking on thecolumn Status button). Click on the Undo Delete button on the Toolbar orselect an Undo Delete option from the Actions menu. The order willchange its status to Unfilled (the status field is blank) and willappear on all screens highlighted in a color.

Any customer who wishes to leave any instructions for the pharmacy staffor include additional items with their order will be offered the optionof leaving a voice message specifying their request. The inventionindicates that a Refill Message has been left if a Yes appears in theVoice column of the Information Window for this refill order. Toretrieve the recording of the Refill Message, select an order thatincludes Refill Message by clicking on the row of the InformationWindow. Click on the Play Voice Files button on the Toolbar or selectPlay Voice Files option from the Actions menu to hear the recording. Tomake a note or transcribe the Refill Message and print it out forreference, click on the Data Entry button on the Toolbar and the Refillwindow will be displayed.

On the Refill window one may play the voice file by clicking on thePlay, Stop, Start, Back, Forward or End buttons; type the informationthat was recorded in the text window; or print the order with the typedin information by clicking on the Print button. Choose the printer toprint the order with the typed in information by clicking on the PrintSetup button (available only if a full-page printer is connected to thesystem).

Doctor's Orders provides a Main voice menu item “Doctor Office OnlyPress . . .” where doctors or their assistants will be prompted torecord new prescriptions or refill authorizations or a general voicemessage. Doctor's orders are displayed on the Doctor Orders or Allscreens with type “Doctor” and blank “Rx Number” field. When at leastone voice file has been recorded there will be “Yes” in the Voicecolumn. To work with the Doctor's order, select Doctor's order byclicking on the row in the Information Window.

One may listen to all the information recorded by the doctor by clickingon the Play Voice Files button on the Toolbar (FIG. 10) or by selectingPlay Voice Files option from the Actions menu. To control the play backof the voice file and/or transcribe the information that was recorded,click on the Data Entry button on the Toolbar. The Doctor window will bedisplayed. On the Doctor window one may; play voice file by clicking onthe Play, Stop, Start, Back, Forward or End buttons; type theinformation that was recorded in the text window; or print the DoctorOrder by clicking on the Print button. Choose the printer to print theDoctor Order with the typed in information by clicking on the PrintSetup button (available only if a full-page printer is connected to thesystem).

Doctors may record prescription information for unlimited number ofpatients in one recording. You may play and type in the patient's name,address and telephone number and prescription information for eachpatient individually.

With a narrow receipt printer, the system automatically prints everyorder received. Click on the Print button on the Refill (FIG. 5) orDoctor windows so that the order will be reprinted including the typedinformation. With a full-page printer, the system will not automaticallyprint every incoming order. Print orders in full page format at any timeby choosing the screen (Unfilled, Refills, Doctors, Phone Log, etc.) byclicking on the appropriate button on the Toolbar or by selecting fromthe Orders menu. Under the File menu, click on Print. The Print windowappears with a list of the printers that are connected to the computer.On the Print window select the desired printer by clicking on it. thenclick on the Print button. A full-page document will be printed on theselected printer. Once a printer is selected, use the Print button onthe Toolbar at the top of the main screen for all full-page printing. Afull-page document will be printed on the previously selected printer.The Print button is disabled when a receipt printer is also installed inthe system. In the Receipt Printer mode, the printer must be kept online otherwise the printing error box will appear on the screen and allthe incoming orders will be kept in queue until the error is corrected.

Activate Voice Messaging permits customers to leave a voice message forthe pharmacy staff without placing an order. All voice messages receivedare transmitted to the computer and can be retrieved through thespeakers and/or headphones as follows: select a Voice Message by simplyclicking on the row in the Information Window; click on the Play VoiceFiles button on the Toolbar or select Play Voice Files option from theActions menu to hear the recording. To make a note or transcribe theMessage and print it out for reference, click on the Data Entry buttonon the Toolbar and the Message window will be displayed. On the Messagewindow one may: play the voice file by clicking on the Play, Stop,Start, Back, Forward or End buttons; type the information that wasrecorded in the text window; or print the typed in information byclicking on the Print button. Choose the printer to print the typedinformation by clicking on the Print Setup button and selecting thedesired printer on the Print Setup window (available only if a full-pageprinter is connected to the system).

Having thus described the invention in detail, it is to be understoodthat the foregoing description is not intended to limit the spirit andscope thereof. What is desired to be protected by Letters Patent is setforth in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A system for automatically receiving customerprescription refill orders comprising: a central station remote from apharmacy for receiving telephone calls relating to prescription refills;means at said central station for prompting a caller to provideprescription refill information; and means at said central station forautomatically transferring said prescription refill information to saidpharmacy for refilling.
 2. The system of claim 1, wherein saidtransferring means includes means for periodically faxing saidprescription refill information to said pharmacy.
 3. The system of claim2, further comprising means for indicating to said pharmacy whether thecaller left a voice message for said pharmacy.
 4. The system of claim 1,further comprising computer means at said pharmacy for displaying saidprescription refill information and for playing voice messages.
 5. Thesystem of claim 4, wherein the transferring means comprises modem meansfor linking the central station to a pharmacy computer.
 6. The system of5, wherein said transferring means further includes means fortransmitting said prescription refill information to said pharmacy viae-mail.
 7. The system of claim 6, wherein said central station includesmeans for receiving said prescription refill information via theInternet.
 8. The system of claim 1, wherein said transferring meansincludes means for transmitting said prescription refill information tosaid pharmacy via a pager.
 9. The method of claim 8, wherein the step ofallowing a user to communicate with the central station comprisesproviding the user with a telephone number that is directed to thepharmacy but can be forwarded to the central station.
 10. The method ofclaim 9, wherein the telephone number is forwarded from the pharmacy tothe central station when the pharmacy is closed.
 11. The method of claim9, wherein the telephone number is forwarded from the pharmacy to thecentral station when the pharmacy is busy.
 12. A method for re-fillingprescriptions comprising: providing a central station remote from apharmacy; allowing a user to communicate with the central station;gathering refill information from the user at the central station;automatically transmitting the refill information from the centralstation to the pharmacy; and re-filling the prescription at thepharmacy.
 13. The method of claim 12, wherein the step of transmittingthe refill information from the central station to the pharmacycomprises a facsimile transmission.
 14. The method of claim 12, whereinthe step of transmitting the refill information to the pharmacycomprises telephonically calling the central station and listening tothe refill information.
 15. The method of claim 14, wherein the pharmacycalls the central station to retrieve prescription information.
 16. Themethod of claim 14, wherein the central station calls the pharmacy totransmit prescription refill information.
 17. The method of claim 12,wherein the step of transmitting the refill information to the pharmacycomprises downloading the refill information from the central station toa computer system at the pharmacy.
 18. The method of claim 17, furthercomprising using the computer system to retrieve and listen to voicemail messages left by a user at the central station.
 19. The method ofclaim 12, further comprising allowing a user to leave a voice mailmessage at the central station and retrieving and listening to the voicemail message at the pharmacy.
 20. The method of a claim 12, wherein thestep of transmitting the refill information to the pharmacy comprisestransmitting the refill information via a pager.
 21. The method of claim12, wherein a user communicates with the central station by calling atelephone number provided by the pharmacy that calls directly to thecentral station.
 22. The method of claim 12, wherein the central stationserves a plurality of pharmacies.